North
East Asia, all periods, Bibliography

China, Mongolia, Korea & Tibet

copyright 1997 by Historical Novelists Center

3000 Years of Chinese Costume *****!
Big, colourful, high-ticket, on a topic often slighted in English.
There's a lot of difference between different areas, eras, and
levels of society. T2

Anonymous

All About Shanghai: a Standard Guidebook ****
Oxford University Paperbacks, 1983; originally The University
Press, Shanghai, 1934; 229 pg, no index
Primitive maps show how little of Shanghai existed then. Detailed
guide leads your characters to hotels, restaurants, gardens,
nightclubs, etc., all with the original ads. T3

Lhasa and Its Mysteries ****
Dover; 384 pg, 185 photos
Account of the British expedition into the very independent realm
of Tibet in 1903-4. T2

Barnes, Gina L.

China, Korea and Japan: The Rise of Civilization in
East Asia ****
Thames & Hudson, London
Combines early history with archeaology to show how the area
emerged and developed from the 700's. T1

Booth, Martin

The Triads: the Growing Global Threat from the Chinese
Criminal Societies ****
St. Martin's Press, NY; 1990; 215 pg, index, "Select Bibliography"
A history of these secret societies from their days as revolutionaries
supporting the deposed Ming dynasty, through their HQ's in Shanghai
and Hong Kong, to their work at emigrating ahead of the Communist
take-over of Hong Kong. T2

Blunden, Caroline, and Mark Elvin

The Cultural Atlas of China *****!
Facts On File, NY, 1986
Encyclopedic, but not linear in time. Requires a couple of readings,
but then everything falls into place, and you know a lot about
China. Magnificent maps. T1

Boerschmann, Ernst

Old China in Historic Photographs ****
Dover Publications, Inc., NY; 304 pg
Taken in China from 1906 to 1909, these 288 photos were aimed
at capturing "timeless China" rather than modern China.
T3

Chambers, James

The Devil's Horsemen: The Mongol Invasion of Europe
***
New York, Atheneum, 1979
Excellent chapter on the superbly disciplined "Mongol War
Machine" and how it was organized, and how events in Asia
saved Europe; also how integrated the western Mongol Empire was
with the eastern. T2

The Secret History of the Mongols *****!
Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass; 1982
Mongolian history from their side, with all the a priori cultural
assumptions. Fascinating. T2

Confucius

The Wisdom of Confucius ****
1900; now from Wings: trans. by Epiphanius Wilson
Find out what "Confucius say" authentically.

Cooper, J. C.

Chinese Alchemy; the Taoist Quest for Immortality ****
Sterling Publishing, NY; 1990; 160 pg, index, bibliography
A rare volume on Chinese magical practices. Cheerfully written
by a writer fascinated by his subject, but not groggy with the
heavy "true-believerism" of so many occult books. T1

Written before the Great War by the first lady-in-waiting
to the Empress Dowager, one of the last imperial rulers of China.
Princess Der Ling was educated in missionary schools and a French
convent, and married an American gentleman. Knows the ceremonial
is exotic to the reader, but has a charming level of internal
acceptance of the norms of her life. T2

Ecke, Gustav

Chinese Domestic Furniture in Photographs and Measured
Drawings *****!
reprint from Dover Publications, Inc., NY
From early Shang to late Ming. Your characters have to sit down
somewhere! This isn't Japan: there are plenty of chairs and divans.
You can make miniatures or full-sized copies from this book.
T2

Felber, John E.

American's Tourist Manual, People's Republic of China
**
International Intertrade Index, Newark, New Jersey; 1976; 224
pg, crude index
A decent tour guide, giving local temperatures to expect, routes
of travel, costs, menu items, and how to use chopsticks. Not
the pocket encyclopedia type that provides a lot of background.
T3

Fenollosa, Ernest F.

Epochs of Chinese and Japanese Art
1913; now from Dover Publications, Inc., NY
Includes Tibetan and Korean art, as well. T2

Garrett, Valery M.

Mandarin Squares: Mandarins and Their Insignia *****!
Oxford University Press, NY & Hong Kong, 1990; 66 pgs, 16
pgs of plates, bibliography
"Mandarins" are not a homogenous class, but one of
infinite sub-caste, each jealous of its symbols and perquisites,
many of which had to do with dress. T3

Begins in the 12th C and follows the effects of the Manchu
on China, including the fall of the Ming dynasty, down to the
period of the Republic. Includes early history of the Triad Society,
ancestor of the modern Triads. T1

A series of verbal views of China by a largely sympathetic
observer, starting with an Emperor's funeral. He addresses the
actual position of women compared to the European, etiquette,
etc. A must-read! T1

Excellent, easy-reading discussion of all the religions of
China, native or foreign, and their effects on the society. T1

Gulick, Robert H. van

Sexual Life in Ancient China ****
Barnes & Noble, NY; 392 pg
Van Gulick is always so good! Enjoys traditional Chinese culture
without trying to convince the reader to go out and become Chinese,
which is too often the air of Chinese scholarship, when it is
not demonizing the Yellow Menace. Not being Christian, the Chinese
long retained the ancient pagan belief that sex is good and normal,
and nothing to be guilty about if done within cultural limits.
This covers specific practices and attitudes in the old texts.
T2

Hale, William Harlan, and the editors of Horizon Magazine

The Horizon Cookbook and Illustrated History of Eating
and Drinking Through the Ages ****
American Heritage Publishing, Inc., 1968
Part One has the description of customs and habits, foods available,
and some interesting art. Part Two has the tastiest recipes,
done for the modern kitchen. Especially hits this period in Part
One. T2

By the one-time president of Peking U, whose wife was physician
to the imperial ladies, this is largely the biography of the
Empress Dowager. T2

Hirth, Friedrich, Ph.D.

The Ancient History of China, to the End of the Chou
Dynasty ***
Columbia University Press, NY, 1923; 383 pg, index
The chronological tables are a good grounding, as are the lists
of rulers. Runs from the mythological to 2200 BC, then on to
end in 247 BC. Nice fold-out maps. T1

Huc, Evariste-Regis, and Joseph Gabet

Travels in Tartary, Thibet and China, 1844-1846 ****
Catholic missionaries go into the (to the European) unknown,
and write down everything they can about it. T2

Ingraham, Holly

People's Names: A Cross-cultural Reference Guide to
the Proper Use of Over 40,000 Personal and Familial Names in
Over 100 Cultures *****!
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, NC; 1997;
613 pgs, index, select annotated bibliography
The Chinese section (Contemporary half) provides tables for building
thousands of names that can be used from the earliest dynasties
forward. Gives a guide to changes made by emigration, as well
as a history of naming, and various social practices. Also chapters
on Mongolian, Korean, and Tibetan names. T1

The Early Empires of Central Asia: A Study of the Scythians
and the Huns and the Part They Played in World History **
University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1939; 529 pgs,
index, bibliography
About a of third of this is outdated by later studies. About
a third of it is good. About a third is assumptions unwarranted
even at the time, pure author prejudice. The best part is the
history of the Hiung-nu kingdoms (whom he calls Hunnish on no
basis whatever, while pointing out major cultural differences
between them and the Huns). However, all his ethnology -- his
descriptions of culture or way of life -- should be treated as
highly suspect until corraborated elsewhere. But for the history
stuff, great! T2

Osprey Military Books

The worst book out by Osprey still gets three stars. The best
are five stars and a bang. These are each a dense, military monograph
on weapons, tactics, strategy, and history, with some little
cultural background. Rarely at libraries, you will usually find
these where military miniatures are sold. T2

In the usual Men-at-Arms Series:

The Mongols; #105

The Age of Tamerlane; #222

Medieval Chinese Armies; #251

The Taiping Rebellion 1851-66; #275

The Boxer Rebellion; #95

Pakenham, Valerie

Out in the Noonday Sun: Edwardians in the Tropics ****
Random House, NY, 1985; original British edition, The Noonday
Sun, by Methuen London Ltd., London
While covering the British African and Asian empire from about
1900 to 1930, it of course stops in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Rare
for a British book, it has an index. Lots of pictures, very readable.
You'll probably get caught by other chapters, too: consider it
background research on the world your characters live in. The
section of Biographical Notes is like a mini-encyclopedia of
the main players. T2

Peers, Christopher J.

Ancient Chinese Armies, 1500-200 BC ***
Osprey Men-at-Arms series #218, Reed International Books, London,
1990; 47 pgs, no index, bibliography; color plates by Angus McBride
Very good coverage of arms and armor, organization, and campaigns.
Just passable on horse gear: McBride shows the "cheekpiece"
bridle as if it were a modern curb bit, which is an absolutely
wrong placement of the reins, and shows nothing whatever of the
chariot harness, which was the dorsal yoke system. T2

Imperial Chinese Armies: (2) 590-1260 AD [sic]
****
Osprey Men-at-Arms series #295, Reed International Books, London,
1996; 47 pgs, no index, bibliography; color plates by Michael
Perry
Extra good stuff on siege engines and early gunpowder weapons
(suuuure they only used the stuff for skyrockets and only Europeans
saw the military potential). T2

Polo, Marco

The Travels of Marco Polo *****!
Penguin Books, trans. 1958
This edition has great notes discussing how much of the book
is what Polo actually saw, and what his co-author added to punch
up sales. T3

Reader's Digest

Everyday Life Through the Ages **"A World Behind
Walls; Ancient China" pgs 64-71 "Giants of East Asia;
China and Japan" pgs 210-217 "Far East Meets West;
China and Japan" pgs 336-339
Reader's Digest Books
All these basic articles have fairly accurate information --
what little they have -- and excellent art and photographs. T1

Salmonson, Jessica Amanda

The Encyclopedia of Amazons: Women Warriors from Antiquity
to the Modern Era *****!
Paragon House, NY, 1991; 290 pg, no index, bibliography
Read through this for a moderate list of female warriors, in
some cases running in families. Most of those remembered were
captains or generals, down history to those of the civil war
following WW2.

Sergeant, Harriet

Shanghai, Collision Point of Cultures, 1918-1939 ****
Crown Publishers, NY; 1990; 371 pg, index, bibliography
Endpaper maps are helpful. Text is deep and fascinating, based
on many interviews, diaries, and letters. Covers the bad parts
of town and the grottier side of life, as well as the high life.
Actually extends in history to either side of the dates in the
title. T2

Sosnoski, W. J.

Fun with Chinese ***
Mei Foo, Waverly, NY, 1940
Great! No pretense, but a lot of plain talk and fun lessons in
reading Chinese by "an old China hand" who learnt the
writing system informally, but well enough to read newspapers.
T3

Spence, Jonathan D.

The Death of Woman Wang *****!
The Viking Press, NY, 1978; 169, bibliography, no index
Scholarly depth study of one city in Shantung in the 17th century,
yet readable and affecting. The complexities and obligations
and less-than-ideal realities of classic Chinese civilization,
without which the present is incomprehensible to outsiders. T2

Spruytte, J.

Early Harness Systems *****!
J. A. Allen, London, 1977; translated by Mary Littauer
Spruytte has built and driven re-created Chines chariots. Completely
explodes the earlier nonsense about the horse-throttling "ancient
traction system" invented by Lefebvre des Noettes
and based on no actual system. Perfectly understandable to the
layman. T2

China and Its People in Early Photographs *****!
19th C; now from Dover Publications, Inc., NY; 272 pg, 200 photos
Some of the earliest (19th century) photos, all the things that
foreign artists had been trying to capture and that Chinese painting
gives us like images in fog. 200 B&W plates. T2

Time-Life Books, the editors of

TimeFrame 3000-1500 BC: The Age of God-kings ***
Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1987
Very pictorial, good text. The air-brushed reconstructions are
sometimes too in love with vast plain surfaces rather than trying
to give us maximum pictorial information, and the maps, while
they cover the ground, are strictly minimal. T1

TimeFrame 1500-600 BC: Barbarian Tides ***
Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1987
Another wide-ranging introduction to all the world at the time,
including the Americas. Same complaints. T1

TimeFrame 600-400 BC: A Soaring Spirit ***
Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1987
Strictly Old World; guess the New World was on vacation. Does
go nicely into Buddhism and Confucism. T1

What Life Was Like in the Land of the Dragon: Imperial
China AD 960-1368 ****
Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1998
A good pictorial adult everyday life book. T1

Ware, James R., translator

Alchemy, Medicine and Religion in the China of AD 320
****
Dover Publications, Inc., NY
These attitudes and beliefs will of course apply decades, perhaps
centuries, to either side of the date. T2

Chinese Weapons ***
The Royal Asiatic Society, North China Branch, Shanghai, 1932
This book was nearly lost in the Japanese bombing of Shanghai.
Its text suffers from the author's assumption that the reader
is familiar with Chinese measurements like the catty and the
tan (you will probably need an unabridged to find them), but
is generally a good compilation from Chinese classics. A few
primitive drawings, no photos. Good with collector's picture
books of Chinese weapons. T2

Williams, C. A. S.

Outlines of Chinese Symolism and Art Motives ***
Dover; 472 pg, 402 illos
We would say "motifs" rather than "motives"
which to most of us mean "reasons for doing" -- not
what is meant. Arranged alphabetically by idea, so you can look
up the right symbols for longevity. Index lets you find the meaning
of cranes, etc. T3

Wilson, Verity

Chinese Dress ****
Weatherhill, NY; 1996; photos by Ian Thomas
Covers Ch'ing dynasty costumes, 1644-1912, from the Victoria
and Albert Museum. The Chinese no more dressed identically throughout
their history than the Europeans did. T2

Worcester, George Raleigh Gray

The Junks and Sampans of the Yangtze *****!
Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 1971; 626 pages, index,
glossary
A primary source of information, you can hurt yourself if you
aren't careful picking up this giant book. Necessary for the
harbour of Shanghai, and the length of the river, including Yangchow
and Nanking. Fascinating variety of specialty craft, including
those built especially for the hazards of certain river stretches.
The author was River Inspector of the Chinese Maritime customs
for 30 years, and gathered most of the material just before being
interned by the Japanese. T2/3

Music

Of course this will sound strange. Any form of music does until
you get used to its forms. Noise it isn't. Familiarise your brain's
ear by listening to one relatively short track over and over until
you begin to hear the tune of it, then move on to another. Listening
to a full album once or twice is not enough unless you are very
flexible musically.

Jing Ying Soloists

Evening Song: Traditional Chinese Instrumental Music
****
CD or Cassette
A good place to start tuning your ear to the Asian musical conventions.

Video

The First Emperor of China ***

1991; VHS and laserdisc, 30 min.

Concentrating on the figures from the tomb of Qin Shi Huang
Di (3rd C. BC), various experts discuss the significance and style
of the findings. T2

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Websites

Ancient History of the Game of Go ***

http://www.cwi.nl/~jansteen/go/history/china.html#index

Jan van der Steen here presents John Fairbairn's 1995 monograph
on the early history and development of the boards and strategy
of go. T3

Cecil Lee in Singapore has accurately titled this site on Chinese
geomancy. Many basic principles of dragon hills and tiger hills,
dragon breath, chi, yin-yang, Chinese calendar, etc. are not only
explained but shown with copious graphics. It will take time to
load some pages, but it's worth the wait.